Hawaii’s Ohio State transfer quarterback making no excuses for slow start

Aside from a late-game appearance in a blowout win over Akron while at Ohio State in 2011, Hawaii quarterback Taylor Graham hadn’t seen live action since 2009, his senior year at Wheaton (Ill.) North High, when he took Hawaii’s first snap this season against USC on Aug. 29.

So, it might be understandable that he would be a little rusty. And maybe that’s a reason why he has completed just 43 percent of his passes and has four interceptions and two touchdowns in the Rainbow Warriors’ two losses to the Trojans and Oregon State.

Graham, though, is being a little tougher on himself.

“I feel like people have been giving me an excuse,” Graham said by phone after Wednesday’s practice in Honolulu. “I don’t look at it that way. I’ve been going to practice, getting my reps in. I don’t fall back on that excuse. I demand a good performance out of myself and that’s what I want.”

Hawaii quarterback Taylor Graham (8) throws a pass as Oregon State defensive end Lavonte Barnett (59) closes in during the second quarter of their game in Corvallis, Ore., on Sept. 7. (Steve Dykes/AP)

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound junior, a pro-style quarterback who was the 14th-rated quarterback in the nation coming out of high school, will lead Hawaii into Mackay Stadium at 5:05 p.m. Saturday. It will be the first Mountain West Conference game of the season for both Hawaii (0-2), which had a bye last week, and Nevada (1-2).

Graham’s numbers might not be great, but Wolf Pack coach Brian Polian said he saw significant improvement from the Warriors’ 30-13 loss to USC in their opener, in which Graham threw four interceptions in 41 attempts, to a 33-14 loss at Oregon State on Sept. 7 (no interceptions in 20 attempts).

“Taylor Graham … has arm talent, is a good player,” Polian said. “And from week one to week two you saw significant growth in terms of understanding the offense and making better decisions. He turned the ball over a couple times in the USC game, and you did not see that (against Oregon State). He took better care of the ball, made better decisions, more decisive decisions against Oregon State, and I have no reason to believe that he won’t continue to improve against us.”

It surely didn’t help Graham or the Warriors when coach Norm Chow fired offensive coordinator Aaron Price, son of former Washington State and Alabama coach Mike Price, in mid-August, just before fall camp started. Price had been hired in February. Chow, a former offensive coordinator who has taken over that role now, too, did not give a reason for the firing other than to say that “some issues” had come up.

Another reason why the Rainbow Warriors have had a rough start offensively is because they’ve been missing some key pieces, most notably 245-pound running back Joey Iosefa and veteran receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann, both of whom are expected to make their season debut Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to getting them back,” said Graham, whose father, Kent Graham, was an NFL quarterback for 11 seasons. “Joey’s a tough guy. He knows his assignments and he’s very reliable. Same with Billy.”

Knowing assignments might be what Graham likes the most about Iosefa, who will surely help in pass protection. The Rainbow Warriors, coming off a 3-9 season in 2012, have allowed 10 sacks already this season despite decent mobility for a 6-5 quarterback.

“He’s a big guy, but he moves well in the pocket,” Nevada defensive end Brock Hekking said. “He reads his keys very well. When you’re chasing him down, he can move a little bit, so you’ve got to be aware of that.”

The Wolf Pack pounded the Warriors 69-24 in Honolulu last season when Graham was sitting out because of transfer rules and Duke transfer Sean Schroeder, now Graham’s backup, started. Graham said he and his teammates aren’t paying attention to history, though.

“We have to concern ourselves with ourselves,” he said. “We can’t get caught up in who we’re playing. Last year didn’t turn out how we hoped. We’ve just got to continue to grind and improve.”

About this blog

Longtime RGJ Media reporter Dan Hinxman is the authority on Wolf Pack athletics, bringing you the day-to-day coverage of Nevada’s sports teams. Dan has covered almost everything the Northern Nevada sports scene has to offer and will use his knowledge to bring you authoritative and engaging Wolf Pack content. Follow him on Twitter at @DanHinxmanRGJ.